For most for-profit enterprises, it’s of great importance to monetize their data, but for government agencies, the key is turning data assets into services, said Steven Orrin, chief technologist at Intel Federal, LLC and at Intel Corp. And, according to Orrin, NASA and the IRS  are good examples of how the government has worked to turn data assets into services.

Many agencies have also been trying to figure out how to share their data across agencies, such as managing healthcare across the Department of Defense or the VA. Part of Orrin’s role is to advise the federal government on using technology to do just that, and working with their ecosystem to build stacks that meets the government’s needs.

Orrin, along with Joseph J. Salvo, Director of GE Global Research, spoke to Stu Miniman (@stu) and Paul Gillin (@pgillin), hosts of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, during the MIT CDOIQ Symposium at the MIT Campus in Cambridge, MA.

Leveraging networks with GE

The incredible value of networks was another topic of conversation. GE has a known history of using its networks to grow industries. “Within GE we optimize supply chain networks,” said Salvo. With such a large network that includes thousands and thousands of partners and customers, the company is able to deliver to customers much faster than ever before.

This large network also includes the locomotive industry. GE has been assisting some of the larger locomotive companies on how to gain back some of the ground they lost to the trucking industry. One way is leveraging their network to increase coordination of train schedules, allowing trains to go faster and reach destinations earlier, saving a vast amount of money. Another is working at improving the predictability of time of arrival, allowing customers to entrust them again with time-sensitive materials.

The trick to developing a loyal customer base

As these examples show, there is a way of gaining customers without trying to change their infrastructure overnight.

“Pick a problem near the company’s heart, run analytics and see where you can help that current infrastructure can’t. This shows them ROI, gets them in the door, and then they can start applying that know-how to other problems,” said Orrin. With that trust established, they will likely come back in the future.

Watch the full interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of the MIT CDOIQ Symposium.

Photo by SiliconANGLE